As of today, I have a relic – I own an iPad. First generation, that is. (Aside: I wonder if, in years to come, the first generation iPad will look like the first generation iPod – an enormous, heavy brick.) When I got my iPad way back in the summer of 2010, one of my first concerns was how hobbled I would feel by not being able to access Flash-driven websites. Everyone made it sound so, well, hobbling.

But the truth is, I have barely noticed. Most sites I visit are not Flash sites, and the few that are either have mobile versions or apps that do replicate the site functionality. And it’s not like I limit my iPad activities to email. I watch movies and videos, download podcasts, pretend I can draw and play music. In short, there is nothing I have wanted to do that I was unable to do because my iPad can’t run Flash.

It seems like the rest of the world agrees. In this article, a statistic is given that 63% out of 30,000 sites use HTML5, allowing mobile users to surf without Flash. That’s great news for both iPad owners and small businesses that want new websites. Instead of spending the time and money required for Flash sites, small business owners can get a WordPress site up and working incredibly quickly, and with its HTML5 base, these sites will be viewable to all mobile devices. Even my lowly iPad 1.

The Motorola Xoom. The iPad 2. How does your site look? Are you ready for the next wave of tablet owners to come visit you online?

In case you haven’t noticed, 2010 was big for the iPad, but 2011, well, it’s going to be the Year of the Tablet. More people will be surfing with smaller screens and non-Flash-enabled browsers. Social media will continue to reign supreme, with my prediction being that Twitter will really surge ahead (who has time to read an entire paragraph anymore?).

In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting news you can use on getting ready for an increasingly ever-connected audience.